


Raiders of a Lost Heart

by wttboz



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015), Tomb Raider (Movie 2018), Tomb Raider - Fandom
Genre: Agent Liberty - Freeform, Archaeology, Children of Liberty, Danger, F/F, Grail Hunt, Kara Mourning, Lena's Gone, No DEO, Project Cadmus, Sam is CEO, Secrets, Smart Kara, SuperCroft, Supergirl in hiding, Tomb Raider, Twins, aliens among us, romance blossoms, something different, supergirl - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:53:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27482278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wttboz/pseuds/wttboz
Summary: Lena Luthor and Eliza Danvers were killed in an explosion ten years ago. Kara Danvers and Supergirl left National City for parts unknown a year later. She and Lara Croft have been working to find and return objects of great power to the alien races that lost them here on Earth. Now, for the first time, they are working to find the same artifact, but Kara has changed and trust may be broken again as Supergirl tries to find something more than friendship with world-famous archeologist Lara Croft.Let the hunt for the Grail begin.
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Kelly Olsen, Lara Croft/Kara Danvers
Comments: 44
Kudos: 52





	1. They Meet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mistresserin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistresserin/gifts).



“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.

From an Irish headstone”

―  **Richard Puz,** [ **The Carolinian** ](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/15291116)

The security guard at the door looked down on the brown-haired woman coming up towards the door. She was wearing a pair of worn jeans, a Henley-style t-shirt in emerald green, and an expensive-looking pair of lace-up work boots. She also had an old fashioned soft leather briefcase draped over her left shoulder and was digging through it as she continued to approach. Her light brown hair was loose around her shoulders, framing a youthful-looking face, with brilliant blue intelligent-looking eyes. There was also a sadness in her eyes that the man could identify with, she had faced loss, someone close, he was sure of it. 

Kara Zorel handed her invitation to the security man, he was taller than her, and she had seen the threat assessment as she approached the door. She smiled, her mind wandering to Alex and their time together at the DEO when she wore a much different uniform. “I’m here for Dr. Croft’s symposium,” she said, a slight accent that the guard swore he’d heard while serving in Israel, “my name is Dr. Kara Zorel.”

Glancing at the tablet in his hand, “Dr. Zorel…” His finger slid down the list, “yes ma’am, here you are. You are a bit early though, the symposium doesn’t start for another half hour.”

“May I be seated anyway, I just flew in from the continent, and haven’t even checked into my hotel yet,” Kara asked with a shy smile. 

“Of course, ma’am, the symposium is in room A, straight in and to your right,” the guard responded, pulling the door open and watching the young woman as she disappeared through the auditorium doors. 

Kara took a seat in the back of the auditorium and removed the dossier Alex had set up on Dr. Lara Croft. Her feet rested on the back of the seat in front of her and she started reading…

Lady Lara Amelia Croft, Eleventh Countess of Abbingdon. Born 1992, current age twenty-eight, height 5’9”, brown hair, brown eyes. Non-traditional education, but is rumored to have a genius-level IQ. Physically Lady Croft is on par with any of the top agents at the DEO, expert gymnast, hand-to-hand combatant, and proficient with several types of firearms. Not quite equal to Ryan or Mia, but still quite formidable.

Lady Croft has suffered several losses in her young life. She lost her mother, Amelia, at the age of nine and somehow survived a nine-day trek through the Himalayan mountains. She spent the next six years following her father from dig to dig, or under the tutelage of Conrad Roth. Her father passed away shortly after she turned fifteen and at that time Lady Croft attended University, receiving a degree in Archeology. Her tutor, Conrad Roth (see attached file) died during an expedition inside the Devil’s triangle, although as of this time, no-one has confirmed the details of exactly what happened.

Lady Croft has done extraordinary things in her work. From finding proof of early Meta-Humans on Yamati (this information comes from an interview with her friend, Samantha Nishimura) to discovery of alien artifacts that have been on Earth for thousands of years. Many of the ones she has recovered have been returned to their respective species, much like another archeologists I know.

Rumors persist that she is a meta, however, there’s no solid evidence.

Has never been affiliated with any groups.

Hope this helps little sister,

Love A.

P.S. The twins miss you. 

Kara smiled at the last line, then turned over the paper in her hand and saw a picture of Lara Croft. “Wow,” she whispered to herself, as she stared at the woman’s eyes then tracking down to pale pink lips. Kara shook her head, ashamed of her reaction, and felt a memory rising…

_ She has just covered the third bomb in the schoolhouse with her body when she heard it stop. As soon as the explosion cleared, she rocketed into the air, breaking the sound barrier and shattering several windows as she shot towards L Corp and Lena. _

_ She crashed into the parking lot, her feet sinking several inches into the tarmac, her wide eyes locked on the smoldering remains of Eliza’s SUV. Suddenly she couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe, her eyes refused to leave the wreckage. What seemed like hours later, Kara felt a hand in hers and turned her eyes for just a moment. She tilted her head and it took a moment to realize that Alex was talking to her. “Who did this, Alex?” The woman in blue asked quietly, almost pleadingly, her eyes filling with tears at the amount of sadness she was seeing on her sister’s face. _

_ “We don’t know, Kar,” Alex answered, as Kara watched her sister trying to swallow back tears. _

_ “I heard it stop Alex, I was listening and I heard her heart stop,” Kara’s gasped, then she tried to speak again as her voice cracked. _

‘Ten years,’ she thought to herself. Her fingers twisted through the necklace she was wearing and she pulled the heart-shaped locket from under her shirt and clicked it open. Eliza and Lena stared up at her, a picture of the two of them together, the last thing Lena had sent before…

Kara sighed heavily, releasing the chain, and tucked the file back into her bag. She pulled out her L-Corp secured phone and checked the time. She still had about fifteen minutes, so she tapped in the number to Alex and Kelly’s condo and waited.

“Auntie Kara!” Screamed the twins, “we miss you!”

“I miss you too,” Kara smiled, meaning it, “how are my favorite little people?”

“We are not little,” Lizabeth exclaimed, “mom says we have grown three whole inches.”

“I think what Aunti Kara means is that we are littler than her,” Karen smiled, her dark eyes shining. “What are you looking for this time, Auntie?”

“What makes you think I’m looking for something this time?” Kara laughed, earning a strange look from some of the guests that were starting to arrive.

“Because you are sitting under the seal for the University of Edinburgh, which means another boring symposium,” Karen pointed. “You can teach these classes, Auntie K, why do you sit in on them?”

Kara shook her head, “child if you don’t become a psychologist like your momma, the world will be worse for it.” Kelly Danvers entered the room at that moment and a large grin split her face at her twins talking to a hologram of their aunt.

“Kara! Hey love, how are you doing?” Kelly asked, the smile never leaving her face, but the seriousness of the question obvious to the woman on the other end of the conversation.

“I’m fine, Kels,” Kara responded, biting her lip and dropping her eyes just a bit.

Kelly saw the signs, “what’s going on, Kar?”

“The terrorists attack in Paris yesterday,” Kara looked towards the twins, trying not to show any signs that she was upset “she got most of them out, but not everyone.”

“She can’t save everyone, Kara,” Kelly admonished gently, “we’ve had that discussion. It’s not realistic.”

“It’s who she is, Kelly,” Kara frowned.

Before her curious nieces could ask any questions, a disembodied voice announced, “Lady Croft will begin her symposium in three minutes, please begin to silence all cell phones.”

Lizabeth was suddenly right in front of the hologram, her face filling the screen of Kara’s phone. “Lady Croft? Aunt Kara, are you working with Lara Croft? Oh my god, oh my god, Auntie Kara!” The girl squealed.

“I’ll try to get her autograph for you, Lizabeth. Hug both moms, I’ve got to go. I love you.” Kara smiled, then blew kisses to both the girls.

“We love you too, Auntie K,” the girls giggled and waved.

Kara waved back, a sad smile taking refuge on her face as she pressed the disconnect button.

The head of the Archeology department for the University of Edinburgh stepped forward to the podium, “Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming today,” he paused, straightening his note cards, “I’m sure today’s speaker needs no introduction, her reputation and work proceed her. Her most recent achievement was the return of the Atlantean Trident of Kings to the Greek Museum of History. The young woman in question has recently joined the staff here at Edinburgh as a guest lecturer…” He paused one more time, then took a deep breath and introduced, “Ladies and gentlemen, Professor Lara Croft, Countess of Abbington.”

The assembled group of men and women stood and gave the woman a standing ovation. Kara gasped as Lara stepped out from behind a curtain. The brown-haired woman was wearing a power suit in a deep navy blue, that could have come right out of Lena’s closet, her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, a few loose strands hovering down to frame a sharp chin and almond-shaped brown eyes. She wore little if no makeup and her nails were unpainted. The only jewelry that Kara could see was a jade medallion around the woman’s neck, held by a leather strap.

Lara felt eyes studying her and looked into the audience. While everyone was looking in her direction, the brunette in the back row was watching her with piercing blue eyes. She shuddered involuntarily at the sight, swallowing slightly and smiling in the woman’s direction.

Kara was caught, like a dear in headlights, and dropped her gaze quickly, but not before Lara noticed a red heat rising in the woman’s cheeks.

‘Score one for me, none for the hot blue-eyed woman in the back row,’ Lara thought to herself, as she smirked at the woman’s retreating eyes.

‘Dammit,’ Kara thought to herself, ‘she saw me staring, by Rao, what was I thinking?’ Then she swallowed, her eyes misting just a bit as another thought rose to her mind, ‘what would Lena think?’

Lara’s speech covered the particulars of the last few artifacts she had recovered and returned to their native species, and a few she had unfortunately missed due to another archeologist, although she smiled as she announced those had been returned as well. She reiterated that several of the artifacts she and her competitor had discovered were legendary objects of magic or mythology and had, instead, been found to be alien artifacts of great power such as the Golden Fleece and the Spear of Destiny. She showed the location of each object on a large map projected behind her. In each image, everyone saw a picture forming, a pattern of words in an unrecognized alien language.

No one else recognized the language, but Kara did. It was old Kryptonese, a language that had been spoken by her mother and Aunt on Krypton, a language she had learned as a possible heir to Krypton’s Adjudicator. It was the language of the house of El and the other high houses of her homeworld. The shock and surprise were evident on her face. She tried to take a deep breath, to calm her reaction, but it was too late…

As Lara clicked through the images, she was watching the reactions of her audience, and she saw the blue eyes widen in surprise, then shock, then recognition. She smiled as the woman’s chest rose and settled with a shuddering breath, then her eyes closed and re-opened, and Lara was impressed by Kara’s control.

Kara sat at the back of the auditorium, studying the screens as the other members of the audience slowly filed out. She was making notes, drawing symbols, trying to remember a language that she had not spoken in so long. Her attention was so focused she didn’t hear the soft footfalls of Lara Croft as she approached.

“Dr. Zorel?” Lara said softly. She studied the woman’s profile, how her eyes never wavered from the screen and her left hand moved across the notebook, scribbling the markings. “Dr. Zorel?” The young woman said, a bit louder.

Kara jumped and turned, her eyes wide as she realized she had blocked out everyone and everything while following the puzzle of information she was looking at. She reigned back her body’s response to the surprise and swallowed, “so—sorry Dr. Croft, I was concentrating, and I have a tendency to block everything out when solving a puzzle.” She smiled and found herself staring directly at Lara’s lovely brown eyes and wondering how they might look in the morning. Then she shook her head and brought herself back to the present.

Lara could have sworn she saw an orange glow in those amazing blue eyes when Kara turned to face her, but then the woman had started talking and Lara noticed the accent wasn’t Israeli, it was from the US, southern California if her ears were right. “Dr. Zorel, would you like to get a cup of tea, and maybe talk about joining my team for the next expedition.”

“Is there going to be food,” Kara answered, the accent back and her stomach growling, “I haven’t eaten all day.”

“My treat,” Lara smiled. She loved a puzzle, and Dr. Kara Zorel was that puzzle.

Kara and Lara made their way through the narrow streets of Edinburgh and memories of a trip she and Lena had made here almost twelve years before came unbidden. She recognized many of the local landmarks and realized where they were headed just as Lara stopped them in front of the door to eteaket, Lena’s favorite tea room. She smiled as Lara was greeted by the host, “a private table, Lady Croft?”

“Please,” the young aristocrat answered politely, turning to Kara and rolling her eyes, causing the blue-eyed woman to snort, and cover her mouth in embarrassment.

The host turned his head away from the two women, and with his nose in the air, leading them towards a table in the back of the dining room. Two men pulled out the ladies’ seats and handed them menus, pushing their chairs towards the table as they were seated. “I’m afraid it is too early for afternoon tea, Lady Croft, but the entire lunch menu is available if you and your guest are so inclined.”

“Thank you, we may be here for a bit, may we have a pot of…” she looked to Kara, who’s fingers were tracing over one of the teas on the menu.

Kara looked up at the silence, blushing, “I’m sorry, were you waiting on me?”

Lara smiled, “I was ordering tea and was curious if there was a certain blend you would like?”

“I’m afraid my taste in tea is very limited, anything you suggest would be fine with me,” Kara smiled back, concentrating on her accent. Something about the woman across from her set her on edge, in a very good way.

“A pot of black then, shall we. And a ploughman’s lunch?” She ordered and watched Kara nod her acceptance.

“A dessert selection also, please?” Kara asked with a gleaming smile.

“Very well ladies, would you like the tea first, while your food is prepared?” The host asked, and watched as the two women nodded. “I’ll bring it shortly,” then he turned on his heels and disappeared into the kitchen.

“Dr. Zorel, if you had wanted, we could have ordered the breakfast blend,” Lara cocked her head, watching the other woman’s reaction.

Kara took a deep breath, remembering Kelly’s lessons about letting go of the guilt, and talking when her memories of Lena started to drown her. “I appreciate it, but…,” she took another breath, releasing it slowly, “my girlfriend, she loved that tea, but it was always too strong for me. We came here about twelve years ago, she was giving a symposium at the University, and we must have tried every tea house in Edinburgh.” The memory brought a smile to Kara’s face, and Lara found herself lost in the brunette’s cerulean eyes.

“You really loved her?” Lara asked, her voice softening to a whisper as a frown found its way to her lovely lips.

Kara’s eyes came up, a slight mist forming as she answered, “from the time I first met her.” She frowned, “I lost her about ten years ago, her and my mom, in a horrible accident.”

Without thinking Lara’s hand covered Kara’s, “I’m so sorry, I lost my mother when I was young. Sometimes it seems as if you never really recover.”

Kara looked down at the other woman’s hand and willed herself not to jerk away. ‘Kelly said to stop rejecting, to go on living, Lena would have wanted me to be happy,’ she thought to herself. “Thank you,” she whispered as she pulled her sleeve down and dabbed the corners of her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Zorel,” Lara went to pull away, but Kara wrapped a finger through one of hers, stopping the movement, and bringing a smile to Lara’s lips, “it wasn’t my intention to make you cry.”

“Call me Kara, please, Dr. Croft,” she smiled, a bit of sadness still showing in her eyes, “my psychologist says that this is good for me, talking about it I mean.”

The waiter brought their tea and smiled discreetly at their interlaced fingers, as he set down the teapot and two cups, “your food will be out shortly, Lady Croft.”

Kara snickered at the look on Lara’s face, “so Lady Croft, you wanted to discuss business?” She asked, trying to change the subject.

Lara rolled her eyes and squeezed Kara's finger, “you may call me Lara.” Then she whined, “please?”

“I take it the title gets a tad bit annoying,” Kara laughed.

Lara looked down at the table, “every time someone calls me that, I look around for my mother.” She sat back, removing her hand from Kara’s, and holding them both up, “do I look like a countess?”

Kara couldn’t help admiring the woman that was Lara Croft. While she was absolutely gorgeous, Kara found herself drawn to the woman’s confidence in herself. This woman sitting across from her knew exactly who she was and what she wanted to do with her life. Kara was just a little jealous, she hadn’t felt that way in quite some time. Her eyes unconsciously tracked down Lady Croft’s athletic figure, noticing the freckles around her nose, the intensity of her brown eyes, the way her chest rose and fell as she took slow even breaths. She also noticed things that other people wouldn’t, like an increase of speed in the woman’s heart rate as blue eyes continued to move down her body. Kara bit her lower lip, almost smiling as the woman’s heart started beating a tad bit faster.

Lara couldn’t help noticing the intense stare coming from across the table and leaned towards the table, trying and failing to control her breathing, she dropped her arm causing her hand to brush the lovely brunette’s, breaking Kara’s concentration and allowing herself a chance to get her heart and breathing under control. She fought with her body as she felt an intense blush rising to her cheeks. “Oh my god, this woman…’ her thoughts derailed by the arrival of their lunch.

Lunch allowed the two women to change their focus and start discussing business. “The project is completely funded, Kara,” Lara stated, “the university secured it through an American company, L-Corp.”

Kara’s eyes became guarded as she spoke, “I’ve heard of them, they do a lot for our profession, they sponsor a lot of expeditions.”

“Any of yours?” Lara asked, watching Kara’s reaction.

Kara thought about lying for just one split second but remembered all the issues that had caused with Lena, “yes, a few of my digs were sponsored directly by L-Corp. I have a few connections with the CEO.”

“Samantha Arias? That is an amazing woman, she saved that company after Lena Luthor died in that accident,” Lara said, watching as Kara’s eyes fell to the table, but not before Lara saw obvious pain in those blue orbs.

Kara stood abruptly, her accent slipping completely as she explained, “excuse me for just a moment, I need to use the ladies room.” Then she was gone.

Lara watched, shocked, as Kara made her way to the ladies room. She blinked a few times and pulled a pen and a small notebook from her bag opened it to a blank page. She also sent a quick message to Sam, asking if she could recall a well-known scientist that spoke at Edinburgh twelve years before. While she waited for an answer, she made a list of information, puzzle pieces that might help her solve Kara Zorel.

  * **Visited Edinburgh twelve years ago, girlfriend lectured at the University.**


  * Girlfriend and mother perished in an accident ten years ago.


  * Samantha Arias took over LCorp approximately ten years ago. Connections? (Kara upset by LCorp ref.)


  * Was Kara dating Lena Luthor?



Kara entered the ladies' room and locked the door. She stared into the mirror, looking at red-rimmed eyes. “By Rao woman, get over yourself, it’s been ten years!” She softly berated herself, “Lena would want you to be happy.”

She took a deep breath and called her sister.

“Hey sis, what’s going on?” Alex’s surprised voice sounded from the other end.

“Are you working, did I interrupt?” Kara asked, then started rambling, “I met someone, and I’m interested, and I need someone to talk to, and I can’t stop thinking about Lena, and I got upset and…”

“Whoa, whoa, Kar,” Alex spoke, interrupting her sister, trying to calm her down before she really got started, “slow down, what’s going on, who did you meet?”

From somewhere near her sister, Kara heard Sam’s voice, “did you say Kara met someone?”

“Is Sam there? Sam, I’m sorry…” Kara said, distressed.

“Kara Danvers, stop it right now, you are fine,” Sam smiled, even though she knew Kara couldn’t see her, “you need this, darling.”

“But Lena?” Kara spoke, and her sister and best friend could hear the trembling in her voice.

“Lena is gone Kar, she would want you to move on, you can’t spend the rest of your life alone,” Sam gently explained. “We all miss her, and your mom, but, honey, we have to move forward. You have to move on, darling.”

From the other end, Kara’s head fell, and she whispered, “I know.”

“Who is it, sis?” Alex asked, her heart calming down, now that Kara seemed to be okay.

On the other end of the phone, Kara smiled shyly and announced, “Lady Lara Croft.”

In National City, two mouths fell open.

Several minutes later, Kara returned to the table, she smiled at Lara, “sorry about that, Lara.”

“Kara,” Lara said, stopping herself from covering Kara’s hand with her own, “I understand losing someone, and I understand how hard it is to get over that loss. It’s okay.”

Kara smiled, and she and Lara spent another hour discussing the particulars of the expedition. It was finally time to go, and as she paid the bill, Lara asked Kara to join her the next day at her office at the University.

Kara happily agreed, and once again apologized for her emotional outburst. Lara smiled back and held out her hand, “here’s to a new adventure.”

Kara gripped the woman’s hand back, “and new friendships.”

While Kara headed for her hotel, Lara wandered the streets of Edinburgh, unaware that her movements were being tracked by two men, two men employed by an Alien hating organization that had been tracking her and Kara on their respective expeditions, and now had decided to simply follow them and steal whatever they found.

As she walked, the puzzle kept turning itself over in her head, who was Dr. Kara Zorel. She was about to text Sam again when the phone rang.

“Hey girl, so you are looking for a scientist who spoke at the University about twelve years ago, right?” Sam’s cheerful voice asked.

“Yes, what do you know?” Lara asked hesitantly.

“You had lunch with one of your colleagues at eteaket this afternoon. During said lunch, you texted your best friend for some information,” Sam laughed. “You never take anyone for tea which means you are interested in more than her ability in the field.”

Lara rolled her eyes, “what have you got?”

“So, twelve years ago, Lena Luthor made a speech about, get this, the use of alien technology in medicine, she had been financing digs for years looking for artifacts, had even been on a few herself, before her brother going all whacko,” Sam explained, like she was reading Lara a trashy romance novel. “And since you asked about her, I figured you want some information about how she died.”

Lara squeezed the bridge of her nose, “I hate it when you do that. I know the basics, but yes, that too.”

“She died ten years ago this month, she was with the mother of her then-girlfriend when their SUV blew up…,” Sam started.

Lara stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, her mouth wide open, not hearing the next sentence.

“Lara, you there?” Sam asked, yelling into the phone.

“Sam, did you say she died in an explosion with her girlfriend’s mom?” Lara asked slowly, pulling her notebook from her bag. “What was the woman’s name? What was the girlfriend’s name?”

“Hold on, it's in my notes…,” Sam paused a minute, and Lara could hear papers flipping, “her name was Eliza, Eliza Danvers. Two daughters, Alexandra and Kara Danvers.”

“Kara?” Lara asked, her voice tight with shock.

“Yeah, Pulitzer prize-winning writer, inherited about ten percent of LCorp stock before she pretty much disappeared off the face of the planet about nine years ago.

“When did…,” Lara was cut off.

“Dr. Kara Zorel made her first real public find about one year later. A medallion that supposedly grants the user shadow type powers,” Sam interrupted, “I think they are the same person, Lara. I have a picture.”

“Send it,” Lara swallowed, and waited as her phone loaded the image. She studied the picture closely, “take away the glasses, and the light hair…but those eyes.”

“Lara, what is it?” Sam asked quietly.

Lara whispered, “Kara is Kara Danvers.”

One of her tails was close enough to hear the last exchange and walked away casually, pulling out his phone and dialing his commander.

“Report?” The voice ordered.

“Kara Danvers is working with Lara Croft,” the man said.


	2. First Steps

“Sometimes, reaching out and taking someone's hand is the beginning of a journey.

At other times, it is allowing another to take yours.”

―  **Vera Nazarian,** [ **The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration** ](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/14364793)

Kara made her way out onto the street after picking up a cup of tea to go. She turned out of the door and headed towards the university, discreetly checking her surroundings. She thought she picked up a familiar face from the day before, and stopped, pulling out her phone and pretending to check a text message as she discreetly scanned the woman. Her x-ray vision picked up a small pistol attached to the woman’s belt and a knife, in a sheath on her wrist. She turned away and focused her hearing on the woman’s heartbeat, then began her walk again.

She walked about three blocks and stopped, sliding her bag up onto her shoulder and once again pulling out her phone, only to have it ring as she wrapped her fingers around the case.

“Hey Alex, is everything okay, it's kinda early over there?” Kara asked, her voice subdued. She peeked over her shoulder and spotted the woman immediately, staring into a window.

“Everything is fine. What’s going on, Kara, you are normally much more excited to hear my voice?” Alex asked, concern lacing her words.

“Nothing,” Kara answered, nonchalantly.

“Kara?” Alex asked, her concern deepening, “turn on your camera.”

“Alex, really it’s nothing,” Kara spoke, a little louder. She knew she couldn’t hide her feelings if Alex saw her face.

“Kara, please?” Alex pleaded, knowing her baby sister was hiding something.

Kara gave in and tapped the button to change to a video call and rolled her eyes as her sister’s face came on screen. “See, I’m fine,” she forced a smile and peeked back.

“Lift your phone,” Alex ordered, as her sister raised her hand and Alex caught the woman looking in their direction through the reflection of the glass. “You’re being followed?”

“Just one, I checked,” Kara assured her sister, then whispered “but what if they are following Lara too?”

“Lady Croft can take care of herself, Kara,” Alex reminded her. “I wasn’t joking in her bio.”

“She doesn’t like to be called, Lady Croft,” Kara smiled, even as her thoughts turned dark and she became worried.

*******************

Lara smiled as she hung up her phone, Sam had been talking non-stop since Lara had rung her up ten minutes into her walk to work from her apartment in the center of town. “My God, I thought she would never be quiet,” Lara whispered to herself, laughing at her friend’s enthusiasm over Kara Danvers. She stopped, supposedly to check her hair and the fall of her blouse, straightening a non-existent wrinkle and looking back, catching the two men that had been following her since stepping out her front door. ‘Well, well, well…’ she thought to herself, ‘not very careful are they.’ Then her hand slid under her jacket, feeling the heavy lump of Roth’s pistol resting on her hip. With a whip of her head, snapping her braid around and over her right shoulder, Lara turned and walked to her office, to prepare for her blue-eyed visitor and her afternoon lecture. She had decided the night before that Kara was entitled to her secrets since Lara had plenty of her own.

She entered her office and started her day.

*******************

Kara stepped around the corner and noticed the two men sitting on a bench having a conversation, and noticed the heart rate she had been listening to speed up. ‘Sounds like someone has some friends,’ the girl of steel thought to herself. She focused her hearing on the men and started to listen in on their conversation.

“There’s the other one,” the stockier of the two men said to his partner.

“We can take care of her in the garden maze,” the other man said, nodding his head slightly to the woman that had been following Kara.

She heard the gun slide from the holster on the woman’s’ belt, and her lips turned up in a mischievous smile. “Obviously, these people don’t know who they are dealing with,’ Kara thought to herself, then raised her hands as the gun was pressed into her back.

A frown appeared on Kara’s lips as the other two approached her with pistols drawn. Her hearing focused on the area around them, making sure it was clear of students and instructors. “Please, don’t hurt me?” She whispered, her eyes opening wide and her voice shaking slightly.

The act must have worked because the two men sneered at her and pointed the barrels of their guns towards the entrance to the garden maze. Their female partner led the way, and as Kara entered the garden, she discreetly tapped the ring on her right ring finger, initiating a homing beacon that Alex could track from anywhere in the world, it also activating her phone, allowing Alex to hear what was going on.

The four people entered the center of the maze, high green walls blocking the view from surrounding buildings.

“Put your hands down, Dr. Zorel,” the woman ordered. 

Kara lowered her hands slowly, “are you going to k-kill me?” She almost smiled at the shaking of her voice and could picture her sister rolling her eyes.

“Where’s the grail, Dr. Zorel?”, the woman’s voice purred as she spun Kara around, relishing the look of fear in the woman’s blue eyes.

“I-I don’t know what you are talking about,” Kara squeaked out. She heard the men laugh at the fear in her voice and watched as they lowered their guns, pointing at her and laughing harder. 

The woman shook her head, a threat imminent in her voice, “CADMUS wants the grail, Dr. Zorel, or should I call you, Ms. Danvers? If you won’t tell us, perhaps we can get the information from Lady Croft.”

Kara gasped and watched the flicker of a smile form on the woman’s face, then the woman lifted her gun and pointed it at Kara’s head.

A low growl emanated from Kara’s throat, memories of loss causing anger to rise in her chest, her eyes narrowed, the threat to Lara bringing new feelings to light. “She doesn’t like to be called, Lady Croft, you bi…”

The woman’s hand dropped in shock, and her finger squeezed the trigger, but Kara was already moving, so the bullet passed harmlessly through her leather jacket, leaving a clean hole in the fabric. The brunette’s finger flicked, catching the woman in the forehead, dropping the wretch to her knees as Kara brought up her own and caught the mercenary under the chin. She watched as the woman collapsed, unconscious.

The two men stood completely shocked as Kara approached, her booted foot connecting with the taller man’s head, causing it to collide with his partners and dropping both to the ground, dazed. Then with a left and a right, she dropped them both to the pavement. As she walked away, Kara could hear sirens, she tapped her ring and slipped her phone out of her pocket, calling Alex back.

********************

In her upstairs office, Lara could hear sirens approaching. The lovely archaeologist raised her head from her notes and stood to move closer to the window. As she peaked out, she noticed a head of brown hair moving towards a bench close to her building. What she didn’t see were her two guests from earlier in the morning…

********************

  
  
  


“That was a little slow for you, Kara. You added two seconds to your regular takedown time,” Alex smirked. “Someone on your mind?”

“Alex!” Kelly hissed from across the island, her eyes narrowing at her wife. Her next words were whispered, “leave her alone about Lara. This is hard on her.”

“She is the strongest person I know, Kels,” Alex whispered back, as thoughts from ten years ago swirled in her mind.

********************

_ “Eliza’s funeral had been a family affair and through it all Kara had remained stoic, offering her shoulder to all of her mom’s friends and extended family, but none received as much attention as Alex. Kara and Kelly were constantly by her side, wiping her tears and offering words of encouragement. _

_ Lena’s funeral had been much of the same. Kara had learned throughout her relationship with Lena to control herself in public, and though there had been tears, she had maintained her composure till the very end. _

_ The next day was a different story, as the papers screamed to know why Supergirl hadn’t made an appearance at Lena Luthor’s funeral. The DEO had tried to cover for her, but the press and the public wouldn’t let up. The editorial in CatCo magazine had been the final straw, so Supergirl and Kara disappeared for almost a week. _

_ Kelly had called Alex the next Saturday from Lena’s apartment, she’d found Kara… _

_ Alex sped to the apartment building and made her way upstairs, finding her sister curled in Lena’s bed, dressed as Supergirl, her arms wrapped around an MIT sweatshirt and tears rolling down her cheeks, as she hugged it tightly to her chest. _

_ After a few hours, Alex and Kara agreed that it was time for her and her sister to retire, to take some time off and recover… _

_ “This happened because I’m Supergirl, Alex, it’s all my fault they are g-gone.” Then her voice cracked again and Alex wrapped her arm’s around her, “I miss her so much, Alex.” _

  
  


********************

  
  


Alex shook her head, breaking her train of thought, and spoke solemnly to her sister, “sorry, sis.”

“It’s okay, A, I know you are just picking on me. I’m going, I want…, I am going to try and ask her to dinner,” Kara admitted, waiting nervously for the ensuing response.

The phone was silent for a few minutes, and Kara was about to speak again, when her sister-in-law whispered, “Kara, what did you say to Alex?”

“I-- I told her I planned to ask Lara out to dinner.” Kara said proudly, “Did I break her?”

Kelly’s laugh started slowly, building as she started looking for a place to sit down. After a few minutes, she got her laughing under control, “I am so proud of you, Kara.”

“For breaking Alex or talking to Lara?” Kara asked with a giggle of her own.

“Both,” Kelly laughed, watching her wife sip her coffee, her eyes still wide with surprise.

********************

In her office Lara watched as Kara sat talking animatedly on her phone and pulled her own from her pocket, dialing Sam’s number.

“Hey Lara, what did you do, I saw the police alerts on my screen?” Sam laughed into the phone.

“It wasn’t me,” Lara answered, defensively, “not this time. Two men were following me this morning, I sent the pics earlier.”

“I saw, got an id on them. Mercenaries, they work for CADMUS,” Sam spat. “They were last spotted coming into Edinburgh Airport about eleven last night, with a woman.”

Lara responded, “There wasn’t a woman with them? Check local surveillance and let me know what you find out.” She heard Sam’s fingers flying over her keyboard and listened closely as Sam swore. “What is it, Sam?”

“She was tailing your new friend, followed her right onto the campus about twenty minutes ago,” Sam said, her fingers still tapping. “Did you know your girlfriend has a classified DEO file?”

“How would I know that, Sam? And she isn’t my girlfriend,” Lara protested.

“Be optimistic, Lady Croft, she’s not your girlfriend, yet,” Sam teased, “Hmmm, her file is locked, Lara, director level access only. No way I can break it without earning attention.”

“Leave it, Sam, she’s entitled to her secrets, I have plenty of my own,” Lara said, as she watched Kara rise from her seat and head towards the door.

*******************

  
  


Kelly finally got her laughter under control, she turned and looked at Alex, who was still drinking her coffee. “What’s wrong, love?”

“She--she sounds like the old Kara?” Alex stuttered. “What happened?”

“Maybe she just needs this, Alex, maybe it’s just time,” Kelly smiled as she moved beside her wife on the arm of the chair, and kissed her on the top of the head. “Don’t you need to get to work? Call in a few favors and find a little more information about Lara Croft?”

“I would never do tha--” Alex stopped, as Kelly’s lips turned up at the edges.

“You’ve never stopped being her big sister, love. Now go, get ready and call your sources,” then she got up and disappeared around the corner.

*********************

Lara heard a faint knock on the door, and a smile came to her lips as she called out, “come in.” Her heart stuttered as blue eyes peeked from behind the door, and her smile grew larger, “Kara!”

“Am I interrupting anything, Lady Croft?” Kara teased. “I can come back later if you would prefer.”

Lara’s eyes narrowed, but the smile wouldn’t leave her lips, “don’t you dare, you are saving me from reading over this boring lecture I agreed to give this afternoon.”

“Well, I’ve got something to take your mind off of it,” Kara smiled, biting her lip. “I went over some of the glyphs that I was taking notes on yesterday.”

Lara’s smile fell, “you figured something out, in one night?”

“It’s why you invited me here, right?” Kara asked, suddenly shaken by Lara’s reaction. “I’m sorry, I--I…”

“Kara, Kara…,” Lara stood, and walked around her desk, “it’s okay, this isn’t anger, I’m impressed, probably a little jealous. There has been a team of people working on those glyphs for two months, and you think you found something in one night?

“Oh,” Kara took a deep breath, then sighed, “ok.” She looked at Lara, and saw the smile returning to the other woman’s face, “okay, do you have a board, so I can show you what I’ve found?”

Lara reached out and grabbed Kara’s hand and pulled her towards the attached lecture hall and dramatically waved her arms at the gigantic blackboard, “help yourself, Dr. Zorel.”

Kara grabbed a piece of chalk, resisting the urge to use her speed-speed to draw the images on the board, and started to sketch out the first of the glyphs. “At first, I was looking for words, but as I studied each glyph, I noticed these imperfections,” Kara said as she drew the first images, pointing as she finished it.

“I see it, but what is it?” Lara asked, cocking her head to the side, looking at the image closer. “There is a pattern there, but of what?”

Kara smiled, her eyes brightening, “it’s a picture, the picture of the night sky, but I can’t figure out where.”

Lara stood dumbfounded for a moment, a huge grin coming to her face, “I know someone who might be able to help with that.”

“Me too, but I wanted to ask if it was okay, because they work for L Corp, and I didn’t want you to think I was going behind your back,” Kara grinned back.

“Kara, you have saved me from more months of trying to figure out this puzzle, right now, I could kiss you,” Lara said, then clamped her mouth shut, blushing furiously.

Kara watched the heat grow in Lara’s cheeks, and heard her own heart start to beat faster, “would you settle for having dinner with me?” She smiled as Lara’s mouth slacked for a moment. “I would like to take you out for dinner, Lara,” Kara blurted out, her eyes wide at her own forwardness.

Lara smiled shyly, “I would like that very much.”

********************

  
  


Shortly after, Lara excused herself and left Kara to her work, grinning happily at the thought of dinner that evening. She made her way upstairs to the large lecture hall, texting Sam as she walked.

Just before entering the room, her phone buzzed, “told you so, Lady Croft…” followed by a string of emojis.

*******************

Downstairs, Kara was smiling just as brightly, as she called up her contacts and dialed the number she was looking for.

In National City, a young woman picked up the phone, without checking the caller id, on the second ring, “Arias…”

Kara’s smile grew as she spoke, “Is that any way to greet your Auntie Kara, Ruby Arias.”

“Oh my go--” Ruby sputtered as she looked at the phone’s id, “I didn’t even check the ID, Auntie K, how are you? Where are you? Are you okay?”

Kara’s laugh filled the speaker at Ruby’s rambling, then she teased “your mom’s going to think I’m a bad influence on you if you keep talking like me.”

“Hmph,” Ruby breathed, “no she won’t, you are one of my heroes and she knows it.” She paused to let that statement set in, then continued, “but you didn’t answer my question, are you okay?”

“I’m doing good, Rubes, really good,” Kara answered, then she shook her head to clear Lara from her thoughts. She switched into business mode as she made her next statement, “I think I found something, and I need your help to locate it.”

“What could I possibly help with?” Ruby asked, completely confused, “my degrees are in business and astrophysics.”

“Yeah, I know. I found some clues for the location of a new find, and the locations are hidden in the stars,” Kara explained.

“Can I see?” Ruby asked, suddenly very excited. It wasn’t very often she could help Kara, and she was jumping in with both feet as she clicked her phone over to video.

Ruby’s smiling face appeared on Kara’s phone causing the woman to stare. “Ruby, what happened to your hair?”

Ruby turned her head from side to side, showing off long, dark-colored hair that matched her mom’s almost perfectly, “I decided to let it grow out. What do you think?”

“My goodness, sweetheart, you look like your mom,” Kara beamed. Then her face changed, “what’s his name?”

“ _ Her _ name is Courtney, and you have met her before…,” Ruby started.

“Courtney?” Kara rolled the name around in her head, “Courtney?” Her brain was working overtime, and her eyes popped open, “Courtney Whitmore? Stargirl?”

“Yes, and she actually prefers StarWoman now,” Ruby smiled. “Enough about me, you can call later and grill me about Court, let me see what you found.”

“Uh-huh,” Kara responded, then turned the phone, focusing on the board and the drawings she made earlier. The patterns were immediately evident to Ruby, who quickly pulled up a computer program. “What do you see, Rubes?” Kara asked excitedly.

“Can you take a photo of each image Auntie K? I can scan the images in. My program reads the possible patterns in the stars and then searches the night sky for a close match, then through time and movement algorithms find the most probable location from which the stars were pictured,” Ruby explained, as she continued to type.

Kara pulled her laptop out of her bag and connected it to her phone, allowing her internet access, and switched her phone screen to the computer, and started taking pictures, sending each one to Ruby as she snapped it.

********************

About an hour and a half later, Lara entered the room, stopping at the door and watching as Kara carried on a conversation with a computer screen. 

“Ruby, that seems almost a match right here,” Kara argued, her American accent even more pronounced, as she studied the image on the screen and compared it to the picture she had drawn on the board.

“I agree, Aunt Kara, but the location is the Azores in the Atlantic, seems unlikely for what has strongly been considered a Middle Eastern and English myth,” Ruby said, looking up and seeing a shadow near the door.

“Someone has been reading my papers?” Kara questioned, as she heard Lara’s heartbeat spike. She turned and smiled at the archeologist, then turned back to Ruby, “can you continue tracking what I have sent you, and send the results to my phone?”

Ruby was staring at Lara, “Aunt Kara? Is that who you’ve been talking about this whole time?”

Kara blushed, “bye, Ruby, don’t forget to send me that information.” She moved to disconnect her call.

“Have fun tonight, Auntie K,” Ruby laughed. “Nice to meet you, Lady Croft,” she continued to laugh and waved, as she disconnected the call, causing the screen to revert to Kara’s wallpaper, a painted image of Krypton that was hanging on the wall of Ruby’s apartment in National City.

Kara blushed deeply and took a deep breath, trying to concentrate on her accent as she turned towards Lara. “Hi there,” she breathed out.

Lara smirked, “Aunt Kara?”

“Humm, Ruby was... is the daughter of Sam,” she stuttered, noticing a confused look in Lara’s eyes. “Sorry, Sam is...Samantha Arias is Ruby’s mom.”

“L Corp’s CEO?” Lara asked, “your helper is the daughter of our benefactor?”

“W--well yes, but I can explain?” Kara stuttered out, reaching out to Lara.

Lara closed her eyes, reaching for Kara’s hand, “Kara, we all have secrets, you are entitled, it’s okay.”

“Okay,” the hero whispered, “Ruby has a degree in Astrophysics, and she wrote the program for her Astronomy classes in college, I thought she might be a help.”

Squeezing Kara’s hand gently, Lara recognized the insecurity in the blue eyes, “I have secrets too, Kara. Look, we just met, we don’t have to share them right now.” A smile formed as the brightness returned to the woman’s eyes and she could feel Kara relax, “Did she find anything? Did I hear something about the Azores?”

Kara nodded, her heart hammering in her ears, she was so shocked she was unable to speak for a moment as a single thought bounced around in her head, ‘she knows.’ She shook her head, quickly moving back to business, but she didn’t release Lara’s hand as she led her across the room and called up the mapping software on her laptop, “Ruby’s program determined that the sky image that we are seeing is grouped around one of the possible locations of the ancient civilizations of Atlantis. She narrowed it down to a few locations on the island of St. Michaels.”

“Ahh, the Azores. Those islands are beautiful,” Lara grinned, her eyes glazing just a bit. “My father and Roth took me there once on a dig.” Tears formed in her soft brown eyes as a memory rose up.

Kara noticed and gripped her hand tighter, anchoring Lara, supporting her through a difficult thought. She didn’t ask any questions, simply stood by and let Lara live her memory.

********************

Lara’s thoughts drifted to a memory of herself, reading her father’s journal in front of the lantern, while Roth and Lord Croft argued over the events of the day.

_ “What are you reading, Little Bird?” Lord croft asked as he sat down beside his daughter. _

_ “The Grail Journal, daddy.” the young lady answered. “Do you think that one day we may find it?” _

_ “Perhaps one day, Lara, it could be right under our feet, but someone will find it,” Lord Croft said as he stood and wandered off, lost in thought. _

_ “Perhaps one day, girl, you’ll find the grail,” Roth smiled as he sat in the seat vacated by the Lord Croft moments before. “You have the same gift he has, Lara, but you have your mother’s patience and won’t hesitate to ask for help. When the time is right, ask the right person, and maybe you two will find the grail.” _

_ Lara leaned her head onto his shoulder, closed the book, and smiled, “you and me against the world, Roth.” _

_ “Perhaps girl, perhaps,” he answered. _

********************

Lara shook her head, memories of Roth’s aftershave still strong in her nose. She looked down and saw Kara’s hand entwined in hers. “Thank you, Kara,” she said softly as her eyes rose to meet the blue of Kara’s.

“Are you okay?” Kara asked, concern lacing her words. “You kind of disappeared?”

“A memory from one of my father’s expeditions, to the Azores of all places,” Lara smiled, a little sadly, then remembered Roth’s words, and looked up at Kara and asked again, “Kara, will you help me find the Grail.”

With a confused look, Kara crinkled her brow in thought, then slowly a smile came to her lips, “Lara Croft, I would be delighted.”


	3. Attacked

“The seeker embarks on a journey to find what he wants and discovers, along the way, what he needs.”

―  **Wally Lamb,** [ **The Hour I First Believed** ](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3811636)

Kara made her way back to her hotel room, searching through her phone for a place for dinner. She pulled up a listing of local restaurants and saw the name of one that had drawn her interest before. She checked quickly and saw there was a spot available and faster than most people could follow, made her reservation, then dialed her sister’s number.

“Hey, Kar, any tails?” Alex asked, her worry was palpable even from half a world away.

“Hey, sis, no, no one is following me. I’ve been checking, and now that I know they are interested in both Lara and myself, I’m taking no chances,” Kara smiled into the phone, listening as Alex’s nervousness was released in a deep sigh. “I called for advice.”

“Advice about what Kar--wait, did you? You didn’t?” Words tumbled from Alex’s mouth, “you did, didn’t you? You asked her on a date?”

Kara smiled widely, even though Alex couldn’t see her, “yes, I told you I would try.” Kare took a shaky breath, “now, it’s only been ten years, what do I wear?”

“Wear something blue!” Sam yelled from the background.

“Don’t wear your hair up!” Kelly cried out.

“No glasses, Aunt Kara.” Ruby laughed.

Alex chuckled, “you got all that.” She sobered for an instant, “are you really okay?”

Kara released a deep breath, “no, A, but I need this, I can’t keep…” Kara looked up to the sky, watching the stars blink for a moment, “I have to start living again.”

The four women took a deep breath, all of them at once, but it was Ruby who spoke first, “she would want that Auntie K, we all know it, and I think you do too. I say go get yourself a new dress and knock Lady Croft right out of her shoes.”

“Thank you, everybody, I’ve got about two hours before I meet her, want to shop?” Kara smiled, flipping the phone to video and making her way towards a woman’s clothing store.

*******************

Lara clicked off the lights and locked the door to her office, shaking the knob to make certain it was secure. She took the stairs two at a time, a huge, goofy grin on her face as she dialed Sam’s number and exited the doors into the courtyard. She was so focused on Kara, she failed to notice the two military-looking individuals that started to follow her as she turned onto the street towards her apartment. Sam finally picked up on the fourth ring, with her newly acquired greeting, “Got a girlfriend yet, Lady Croft?”

“No, but I have a date with her tonight, dinner!” Lara was amazed at her excitement.

“Someone is excited?” Sam teased, “When was your last date? Remind me?” 

Lara stopped, bit her lip, and looked at the shop window in front of her, her eye was drawn to a bit of motion across the street, near the antique book dealer. “You know very well it has been a bit more than three years. I have been busy, between work and CADMUS.” She put an obvious emphasis on the name of the organization that had been haunting her dig sites for the better part of three years.

“How many?” Sam asked, spinning her chair to face her computer monitor. Her hands were flying over the keyboard, as she hacked into the city camera system, something that was becoming a bit of a habit now that Lara was essentially home-based in Edinburgh.

“Two, near the bookshop, prior military, US or--possibly French,” Lara spoke, forcing herself to relax, “I’m going to take the next right, Sam, away from my apartment, then circle back using the rooftops and wynds.”

“You have your friends with you?” Sam asked, pulling up a map of Edinburgh on one of the three screens she had keyed to Lara’s location.

“One friend, and your new toy,” Lara answered, tapping the silver tennis bracelet on her left wrist. 

Sam’s screen lit up with notifications that satellite tracking was online as the DEO issued tracking chip in Lara’s jewelry powered up. She keyed the command that would block the device from anyone without her and Lara’s code and sent a message to the DEO servers in London that Lara’s device had been accidentally activated so that no alerts would be issued. “You’re in the clear, Lara, tracking is active and I have eyes on you and our guest.”

Lara turned and started to walk again, making certain that her pursuers knew she was spooked and in a hurry to get away. At the next intersection, she turned right, instead of left, and ducked into a narrow alley that ended in a seven-foot brick wall.

The two men following her were caught off guard and picked up speed immediately. Former French special forces, they picked up speed and cut directly behind Lara as she disappeared into the alley, watching as she charged at top speed towards the wall. Lara jumped to the left, her left leg bending and pushing off towards the other wall. Her right foot settled and she propelled herself to the top of the wall, somersaulting up and over, never losing an ounce of speed.

One of the men jumped as he got close to the wall, scrambling up and over, clawing his way to the top, looking for his target. “Cut back, cut back, she’s disappeared!” He yelled as he dropped, landing in a crouch and taking off again, secure in the knowledge that his partner would reverse course back onto the open streets.

From her spot in the shadows, Lara smiled wickedly as the man barreled towards her, he never slowed as her leg shot out and caught him in the shin. The soldier’s momentum continued to carry him forward, his arms outstretched as he slid face-first across the pavement, colliding with a raised stone and rolling onto his back. He found himself face to barrel with a very large handgun.

“I know who you work for, and I know why you are here. Is it just you and your partner?” Lara growled, as she pressed the heavy sidearm into the man’s face.

“ Je ne parle pas anglais ,” the former French paratrooper responded, his voice trembling at the weight of the pistol...

“Ah, alors c'est français.” Lara smiled wickedly, “espèce d'imbécile!”

“Nou--Nous sommes quatre,” the man swallowed hard, survival outweighing the need to protect his teammates, “deux à suivre, deux à votre appartement.”

Lara rolled her eyes angrily, “I don’t have time for this!” She raised the gun and flipped it over, clubbing the man in the head. She watched with satisfaction as his eyes rolled back and he relaxed. “Dammit!” Lara yelled as she jumped up and ran towards her flat.

******************

Kara turned the key to her hotel room and slid into the room, tossing her bags onto the bed, and entered the bathroom to take a quick shower, she still had about ninety minutes before she was due to meet Lara. She paused a moment, took a deep breath, changed her mind, and stepped out on the balcony, dialing Kelly’s cell.

“Hey hon, you okay?” Kelly asked, surprised that Kara was calling her with so little time to get ready.

“Just nervous--,” a shaky pause followed, “ha, just nervous, that’s an understatement, I’m scared to death,” Kara admitted, “I’m ready, but…”

“Kar, sweetheart, Ruby was right, Lena would want you to move on, and ten years is a long time, even for you,” Kelly responded, her voice even and supportive. “If you weren’t ready, you wouldn’t have asked her.”

“I know, Kells--I’m being silly, she likes me, I can hear it in her heartbeat when she looks at me, It’s so different from Lena’s, it’s like listening to…” Kara paused, searching for the right words, “Lena was like a calming symphony, she thought about everything, ten or fifteen moves ahead, and Lara she--she’s like a rock song.”

Kelly was silent for a moment, when it came to Lena, Kara had closed herself off to everyone, Alex, Sam, even Ruby, and the twins, but never, not once had she not known exactly how Kara was feeling, because every week for the last ten years, they had talked, at first is was doctor and patient, slowly growing their bond of friendship and then, they grew even closer, like sisters, “Kara, honey, I think what you are feeling right now, is Lena saying it’s okay, it’s okay to move on.”

Kara blinked, and felt hot tears running down her face, “thank you, sis, I needed to hear that.”

“Kara, you know I’m always here when you need to talk. Now go, get ready for your date, and enjoy yourself. We love you,” Kelly smiled, knowing that even if Kara couldn’t see her, she would hear that.

“Love you too, Kells. I’ll let everyone know how it goes,” Kara smiled back, her confidence restored. “I miss you, all of you. I think, when this is all over, it’s time for me to come home.”

******************

Lara lowered herself slowly onto the patio of her penthouse flat and made her way to the french doors. Peeking around the corner, she saw one man and one woman rifling through her desk and bookshelves. She watched as they threw her books onto the floor, and dumped the contents of her desk drawer onto the floor, and started to kick it around. Her photo from the voyage to the Dragon’s Triangle, the last picture she had of Roth before he’d died, was stepped on, shattering the frame and ripping the image. Her eyes watered, and she felt her temper rising. She then watched as one of her mother’s watercolors was ripped from the wall, tossed absentmindedly onto the floor.

Lara didn’t hesitate, she kicked open the glass doors, watching as the glass shattered and peppered the man as he turned towards her. The soldier covered his face to protect it from the glass shards, and Lara brought her knee up, catching him in the groin. His hands reacted instinctually, covering himself and leaving his face and head open to an attack, which Lara delivered. Her kick was perfectly timed, connecting just as the man’s knees struck the glass-covered floor. He collapsed in a heap, his head bouncing once as the woman charged Lara.

“Espèce de salope! CADMUS a dit de trouver quelque chose, je me demande ce qu'ils vont me donner pour vous,” the woman yelled harshly in French, as she threw a punch.

Lara raised her forearm, easily blocking the blow, and turned her body into the next attack, bringing up her elbow. The woman shifted her head a little, causing Lara’s elbow to catch her ear instead of under her chin. The woman smiled at her.

“C'était bâclé,” the woman hissed, and jumped back, raising both hands in defense and bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet.

Lara backed away as well, adjusting her stance to match the woman across the room from her. Then out of nowhere the front door blasted open and the remaining soldier from the street charged toward her. Lara never hesitated, she spun, raising her leg, and caught the man directly under the chin, bringing his upper body to a complete stop. His legs kept going, flying up and kicking towards Lara, causing her to leap back, putting her into the reach of the only other person in the room. 

“Grosse erreur, Lady Croft,” she laughed, bringing her fist up, connecting with Lara’s lower back, just above her kidney. Then a second punch caught her right in the same spot, driving her to her knees. “Une fois que nous en aurons fini avec vous, nous allons rendre visite à votre grand ami blond, le Dr. Zorel.”

Brown eyes shot up, and an elbow caught the woman under the chin, knocking her back a step. Lara stood, a little slowly, holding her side, she moved towards the woman. Her leg shot out, catching the soldier just below her solar plexus, knocking the air out of her. “I…” Her fist shot out, connecting with the woman’s cheek, “Don’t.” Her knee came up, catching her adversary under the chin, “Have time.” Her final move, a hard elbow to the top of the bitch’s head dropped her to the floor, unconscious, “For this.” Lara paused for a moment, then whispered, “dors bien, salope!”

The last move caused Lara to collapse to the floor in a sitting position, breathing hard and holding her side. Her phone buzzed, and she reached across the glass and picked it up, “Sam…,” she grunted, “I need a DEO clean-up at my address.”

“Oh god, Lara! Are you okay?” Sam screamed into her phone.”DEO should be there in just a moment.”

“I…,” Lara took a deep breath, “bitch got in a few lucky shots. I’m going to bruise, badly.”

Lara heard running on the stairs, and turned, watching as a DEO clean up team entered her flat.

“Dr. Croft? Are you okay ma’am?” An older woman, whose name tag identified her as Major Vasquez, asked.

“Two shots above the kidney, going to leave a bruise, but I’ll live.” She shuffled over to watercolor and lifted it, brushing the glass off of it and checking for damage. Satisfied she hung it back on the wall, and then stepped over to the picture on the floor. Lifting it, she bit back the tears that were forming in her brown eyes. “Do you have anything magical that can fix this?” She asked, rubbing her finger on Roth’s image.

“I have a technician who might be able to help ma’am, would you like him to take a look?” Vasquez responded, holding out her hand, “and, may I check your back, ma’am?”

Lara turned, and lifted her shirt, causing the major to gasp. The officer got herself under control and checked the bruising area, noticing a puckered scar just above the kidney, with a deep bruise forming just above it. “They missed the kidney, ma’am, but you are going to have a good size bruise for a week or so. I would recommend some ice and loose clothes, maybe just a night on the couch.”

“I have a date, in about,” she flipped her phone over, and rolled her eyes, “forty-five minutes.” Lara smiled, “so if you will excuse me.”

Lara stepped into her bathroom and closed the door, stripped out of her clothes, and stepped into a cold shower, letting the water wash over her back. “Call Sam!” she yelled over the water.

“Hey, Lara. Wait, are you in the shower? With a DEO team in the flat?” Sam laughed.

“I have a date in less than an hour, and I am not skipping out, no matter how sore I am,” Lara smiled, then grimaced as the water struck a tender spot. “I need to dress loosely tonight. Got any ideas?”

“That black silk peasant top I bought for you in New York, and your low waisted leather pants, the ones you can wear without a belt. And your cleanest pair of riding boots should finish the look,” Sam coached, “and according to the weather, supposed to be cool, so a jacket, preferably one without bullet holes or tears in it.”

“Thanks, Sam, what would I do without you?” Lara smiled, as she shut off the water and stepped out of the shower.

“Wear jeans and a t-shirt every day, and never do anything but work,” Sam laughed, “have fun tonight.”

*******************

Lara emerged from her bathroom, twenty minutes later looking around in amazement at the repairs that had taken place. Her door was replaced and the french doors to her patio were almost completely repaired. Major Vasquez walked up, “we can give you a lift, Dr. Croft if you would like?”

“No, no. That is quite alright, I could use the walk to stretch my legs a bit, and work the kinks out of my back,” Lara responded, a little too quickly.

“Director Blood has authorized a security detail, ma’am. You will have an escort and they will be discreet, but the director gave us a direct order,” Susan Vasquez stated, leaving no room for an argument, “I will be part of that unit tonight until we can round up a proper team.”

“I’m not likely to get him to change his mind, am I, Major?” Lara huffed out, grimacing as her back spasmed.

“No, ma’am, I’m afraid not,” the major answered with a smile.

*******************

“Lane,” Lucy answered brusquely, not even bothering to look at her phone.

“Executive Director, you have a call from Director Blood in England,” her assistant said over the phone, 

“Put him thru, Jimmy,” Lucy sighed, signing off on another request from the Japanese offices.

“Hello, Lucy, been a while,” James Blood spoke in a loud baritone, “We have CADMUS activity in Scotland.”

Lucy set her pen down gently, “Croft?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Blood answered blankly, “may I ask how you know about Lady Croft?”

“No, you may not,” Lucy answered with a smirk, “I have sources you are not privy to, Blood.”

“It is my command, Executive Director,” Blood growled through the phone.

“You have secrets, Director Blood, if you would like to keep them, stuff your threats, I have met people more frightening than your demon and lived to talk about it, so unless you have more to report, I have a few hundred budget requests to work on. Goodbye.” Lucy hung up her phone, smiling. She so enjoyed putting these metas in their place. Before she went back to her papers, she typed a short message to Susan Vasquez.

********************

Kara checked her phone for the third time in as many minutes, Lara was ten minutes late, and she was getting nervous. She was pacing, and looked around again, and stopped, recognizing a face in the crowd. She stepped forward, and the woman’s eyes turned towards her, a small gasp escaping the lips of Susan Vasquez. Kara turned away quickly and started to walk away when out of the crowd she heard Lara cry out, “Kara, I’m here.”

A noticeable sigh escaped the Kryptonian’s lips as she felt a hand land in hers. “Hey, I was worried you might have changed your mind.”

Squeezing tightly, Lara smiled, “why ever would I do that, Dr. Zorel?” Then she pecked Kara on the cheek, “I believe I was promised dinner.”

Kara blushed slightly and noticed Susan again, dressed in civilian clothes but obviously on duty. Susan nodded at her and placed a finger to her lips. Kara nodded imperceptibly. Then she focused all her attention on her date.

Susan’s phone buzzed and she looked down to read the message, ‘CADMUS, expert opinion authorized.’

Susan started to type, ‘Supergirl onsite’, then looked up at Kara, remembering the day she had shed the cape in National City and deleted the message. ‘Understood, Director Lane’ she sent instead. Then she pulled out her personal cell phone and called up a name she hadn’t looked for in years, ‘SG in Scotland, CADMUS on prowl, advice, please.’

Five thousand miles away, Alexandra Danvers, former Director of the DEO, rolled over as her phone buzzed…

******************

With Kara distracted, Lara took in the sight that was her date for the night. Kara was wearing her hair down, her brown hair framing her face, and falling in soft curls around her shoulders. She was wearing a cerulean dress that matched her eyes perfectly, her shoulders covered by a red shaw, and a dark pair of boots finished off the outfit. Kara blushed at the attention but did notice that Lara was wearing all black, including a pair of leather pants that left very little to the hero’s imagination. She also noticed that Lara was not wearing her usual braid, instead, her long hair fell in waves down her back. “You look stunning, Lara,” Kara breathed out, and she heard Lara’s stomach grumble. “Are you hungry?”

“Famished,” the archaeologist answered, “you--you should wear your hair down more often. You are ravishing.”

Kara hung her head and smiled, hiding a blush behind a curtain of hair, “I made reservations at Condita for eight. She spoke loud enough for Susan to hear and the agent quickly pulled up a hacking program and placed a reservation into the system for her and her partner on security watch. “Shall we,” Kara whispered, as she placed her hand on Lara’s back, feeling the woman tense, and watched her eyes fill with pain? Lara simply smiled and wrapped her arms around Kara’s, tucking them into her elbow. Kara’s temper flared for a moment, and she shot a look at Susan.

Susan nodded, rubbing the spot on her back that matched Lara’s injury. Kara’s fingers floated away from the spot, sliding up and cupping Lara’s arm. 

They arrived at the restaurant a short time later and Kara allowed Susan to move two spots ahead of her in the line. When they reached the line Kara gave her name and noticed that a table had already been arranged, with Susan close by and on an interior wall. She smiled, ‘old habits die hard, I guess,’ as she and Lara moved towards the table.

Before they could be seated, Lara excused herself and headed towards the restroom, holding her back. The secondary agent with Susan took a look around and moved in the same direction, discreetly.

Kara turned towards Susan and smiled, “What the hell are you doing here? Did Alex put you up to this?”

Shaking her head, Susan smiled back, “I actually work for the Executive Director, and this,” she waved her arms around, “was a total accident.”

“She’s injured and she has a DEO security escort. Why?” Kara asked in her Supergirl voice, arms folded over her chest.

“Kara, you are not with the DEO anymore, and if I tell you, you have to promise to keep that temper of yours in check.”

“CADMUS?” Kara asked, without batting an eye. She caught a rise in Susan’s heart rate and nodded.

The older woman let out a sigh of relief, knowing that she had said nothing, then stepped forward and without waiting, wrapped her arms around her friend. “Everyone misses you. I get it though, I saw what the press did, but by God, Kara, we miss you.”

Kara stood, shocked for a moment, then closed her eyes and wrapped arms that could move planets gently around her old friend, “I miss you guys too, but I just couldn’t do it anymore, not after…”

“It’s okay like I said, I understand why, I just wish it hadn’t come down to it,” Susan sighed. Her phone buzzed; Alex’s number.

“What’s my sister want?” Kara smiled.

‘How close are you to the situation?’ the message asked.

Kara closed her eyes a moment, focusing on Lara’s heart, verifying her location. Then she looked at Susan and snatched away the phone then snapped a quick picture of them as her friend’s arms tried to reach for the device. ‘About this close, sis…’

They could hear the eye roll from across the ocean.

*******************

Lara returned and Kara pulled out her seat, watching as the woman sat down, grimacing slightly as her back hit the hardwood of the chair. As the waiter arrived with their first course, Kara discreetly requested a small ice pack and placed a tip in the man’s hand. He returned a few minutes later and Kara gently placed it on Lara’s back, watching as the woman visibly relaxed as the spot was numbed. “You know, we could do this another time,” Kara whispered in Lara’s ear.

Lara was torn, as she looked into Kara’s eyes, “I’m sorry, my flat was broken into and I’m afraid I was a bit hurt, but I…”

Kara interrupted, “not to seem too forward, but we could go back to my hotel, I have a nice suite and we could watch a movie and just order room service. You can even crash there tonight.” She watched Lara’s face, hoping she hadn’t mistaken the woman’s interest.

“Kara, I couldn’t impose like that,” Lara said, although her tone spoke volumes. “Are--are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t offer otherwise, Lady Croft,” a mischievous smile coming to her lips. “My hotel is just the next street over, we can be there in just a few minutes, let me get the check.”

“Kara, I woul…” Lara tried to argue, her hand falling into Kara’s.

Kara stretched across the table and kissed Lara’s cheek, “you aren’t winning this argument, milady.”

Kara paid the check and helped Lara stand, “I have some comfy clothes at the hotel unless there is something you need.”

“That sounds quite nice,” Lara smiled and turned towards the door. Behind her back, a silent message passed between Kara and Susan. Susan nodded and pulled out her DEO issued communications device, ‘Subject is secure.’

Susan felt her phone buzz and looked down, ‘thank you, I’ve got it from here.’ The number was Kara’s. Susan Vasquez smiled brightly, her partner staring, a look of confusion on her face.

******************

Fifteen minutes later Kara unlocked her suite and led Lara in. “My home away from home.” Kara laughed nervously, “I’m never in one place long enough to call it home anymore.” She looked out the balcony doors, frowning. ‘Am I homesick?’ She thought to herself.

“Kara?” Lara whispered, “you okay?”

“Hmm, oh yeah, just thinking,” Kara turned, “let’s get you comfortable and I will order some food, want anything special?”

Lara disappeared into the bathroom, “can you see if they have potstickers?”

Kara smiled brightly as she lifted the room phone.


End file.
